Electronic device with wrap around display

ABSTRACT

A consumer electronic product includes at least a transparent housing and a flexible display assembly enclosed within the transparent housing. In the described embodiment, the flexible display assembly is configured to present visual content at any portion of the transparent housing.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/954,564, filed Apr. 16, 2018, entitled “ELECTRONIC DEVICE WITH WRAPAROUND DISPLAY”, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 15/151,360, filed May 10, 2016, entitled “ELECTRONIC DEVICE WITHWRAP AROUND DISPLAY”, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,983,630 issued May 29, 2018,which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/680,905,filed Apr. 7, 2015 entitled “ELECTRONIC DEVICE WITH WRAP AROUNDDISPLAY”, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,367,095 issued Jun. 14, 2016, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/523,480, filed Oct.24, 2014 entitled “ELECTRONIC DEVICE WITH WRAP AROUND DISPLAY”, now U.S.Pat. No. 9,146,590 issued Sep. 29, 2015, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/160,477, filed Jan. 21, 2014 entitled“ELECTRONIC DEVICE WITH WRAP AROUND DISPLAY”, now U.S. Pat. No.8,896,563 issued Nov. 25, 2014, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/245,646, filed Sep. 26, 2011 entitled“ELECTRONIC DEVICE WITH WRAP AROUND DISPLAY”, now U.S. Pat. No.8,665,236 issued Mar. 4, 2014, all of which are hereby incorporated byreference herein in their entireties for all purposes.

FIELD

The described embodiments relate generally to portable electronicdevices. In particular, expanding the functionality of portableelectronics devices by providing a more efficient mechanism forpresenting visual content is disclosed.

BACKGROUND

In the last few years the functionality of portable electronic deviceshas increased exponentially. Further improvements be realized byinvestigating ways to maximize the utility of unused portions of thesedevices. Form factor is an interesting area for development given that alarge majority of portable electronic devices have settled into astandard form factor; namely a flat planar form factor with a display onone side and an opaque housing which contains the electrical componentscovering the rear surface of the device. Unfortunately, this popularform factor, leaves the sides and rear surfaces of the device unused orat best configured with buttons and switches with fixed location andfunctionality. Since many of these buttons and switches have fixedfunctionality they cannot always be incorporated into third partyapplications.

Therefore, there exists a need for an improved form factor for portableelectronic devices which allows functionality to extend to more than onesurface of the device.

SUMMARY

This paper describes various embodiments that relate to an apparatus,method, and computer readable medium for creating a portable electronicdevice with a wraparound display.

In one embodiment, a consumer electronic product is described. Theconsumer electronic product includes at least a transparent housing anda flexible display assembly enclosed within the transparent housing. Inthe described embodiment, the flexible display assembly is configured topresent visual content at any portion of the transparent housing.

In one aspect of the described embodiment, the consumer electronicproduct includes a second flexible display assembly. The second displayacts to present visual content in cooperation with the flexible displayassembly.

In another embodiment, a method for assembly of a multi-display portableelectronic device is described. The method is carried out by performingat least the following operations: receiving a transparent enclosure,shaping a flexible display to conform to a cross section of thetransparent enclosure, inserting the shaped flexible display into thetransparent enclosure. Subsequent to the inserting, the shaped flexibledisplay returns to an original shape that causes a display portion ofthe flexible display to press against an interior surface of thetransparent enclosure. The method also includes the operation ofenclosing the inserted flexible display into the enclosure.

An apparatus for assembly of a multi-display portable electronic deviceis described. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes at least meansfor receiving a transparent enclosure, means for shaping a flexibledisplay to conform to a cross section of the transparent enclosure, andmeans for inserting the shaped flexible display into the transparentenclosure. Subsequent to the inserting, the shaped flexible displayreturns to an original shape that causes a display portion of theflexible display to press against an interior surface of the transparentenclosure. The apparatus also includes at least means for enclosing theinserted flexible display into the enclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The described embodiments and the advantages thereof may best beunderstood by reference to the following description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings. These drawings in no waylimit any changes in form and detail that may be made to the describedembodiments by one skilled in the art without departing from the spiritand scope of the described embodiments.

FIG. 1A shows a representative housing and associated flexible displayassembly in an unassembled state.

FIG. 1B shows a flexible display assembly in a rolled up configurationwithin housing of FIG. 1A in a partially assembled state.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of portable electronic device asinternal components of portable electronic device 200 are being insertedinto transparent housing.

FIG. 3 shows a bottom view of portable electronic device in accordancewith the described embodiments.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of portable electronic device inoperation. Notice how the wrap around display substantially increasesthe available display area that can be used for display of icons, data,images, video and such.

FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C illustrate a variety of additional representativeform factors in which the described embodiments can be manufactured.

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart detailing process in accordance with thedescribed embodiments.

FIGS. 7A and 7B shows multiple display portable communication device inaccordance with the described embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an electronic device suitable for use withthe described embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The presently described embodiments relate generally to media devices.More particularly, a media device having a wrap-around display enclosedwithin a transparent enclosure is described.

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth toprovide a thorough understanding of the presently described embodiments.It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that thepresently described embodiments may be practiced without some or all ofthese specific details. In other instances, well known process stepshave not been described in detail in order to avoid unnecessarilyobscuring the presently described embodiments.

The majority of portable electronic device manufacturers utilize acommon form factor consisting generally of a flat planar form factorwith a single surface dedicated mainly for use as a display surface,while the other surfaces remain largely unused, save for the occasionalbutton or switch. The conventional form factor has been used in devicessuch as smart phones, tablet devices, and electronic book readers.Although this form factor lends itself to electronic devices that areaesthetically pleasing and easy to handle, the requirement for a planardisplay and associated circuitry inherently limits the amount of surfacearea to single surface. More specifically, the size of the userinterface is generally limited to a portion of the device that takes upless than half of the overall device surface area.

In one embodiment, utilizing a flexible display can provide additionalviewing area without increasing either the size or shape of theelectronic device. For example, a flexible display can be folded in sucha way as to form a continuous loop such that images (still or video) canbe presented in a wrap-around manner in which the images appear to bepresented in a continuous loop. The flexible display can be folded intoa tightly wound configuration and placed within an enclosure at least aportion of which is transparent. In some cases, the enclosure can beformed of glass at least a portion of which is made opaque (at leasttranslucent) by the addition of ink or other masking material. In othercases, however, the entire enclosure can be fully transparent in whichcase the folded flexible display can unwind when placed within the glassenclosure. Once fully unwound, the flexible display can present imagesat any portion of the glass enclosure.

These and other embodiments are discussed below with reference to FIGS.1-x. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that thedetailed description given herein with respect to these figures is forexplanatory purposes only and should not be construed as limiting.

FIG. 1A shows housing 102 alongside representative flexible displayassembly 104. Housing 102 can take many forms. For example, housing 102can be multi-part in which a portion is metallic in nature (such asaluminum) whereas another portion can be formed of optically transparentmaterial such as glass. For the remainder of this discussion, however,housing 102 is considered to be fully formed of transparent (or at leastsemi-transparent) material such as glass. In this way and without lossof generality, transparent housing 102 may be made of any transparentmaterial such as for example glass, or plastic. The material selectedgenerally depends on many factors including, but not limited to,strength (tensile), density (lightweight), strength to weight ratio,Young's modulus, corrosion resistance, formability, finishing,recyclability, tooling costs, design flexibility, manufacturing costs,manufacturing throughput, reproducibility, and the like. The materialselected may also depend on electrical conductivity, thermalconductivity, radio wave and optical transparency, combustibility,toxicity, and the like. The material selected may also depend onaesthetics, including color, surface finish, and weight.

In one particular embodiment, housing 102 can be formed from a glasstube. The glass tube may be formed from an extrusion or extrusion-likeprocess. Some of the reasons for using glass over other materials arethat glass is strong, stiff, and radio transparent and therefore asuitable material for an enclosure of an electronic device capable ofwireless communications and presenting visual content at any surfacethereof. The radio transparency is especially important for wirelesshand held devices that include antennas internal to the enclosure. Radiotransparency allows the wireless signals to pass through the enclosureand, in some cases, even enhances these transmissions. It will beunderstood that, although a glass enclosure is capable of wirelesscommunications, the embodiments described herein need not be capable ofwireless communication.

Using glass for the fabrication of housing 102 can also provide theportable electronic device with a unique, aesthetically pleasingappearance. To further provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance, theglass can also be coated with an oleophobic coating to reduce fingerprints and smudging on the glass. The glass can also be coated with ananti-reflective coating to reduce glare. It will be understood thatchemically strengthened glass can also be scratch resistant. The glasscan also be color tinted in a wide variety of colors and can also have avariety of surface finishes including smooth and rough. For example, theglass can be polished to create a smooth (gloss) finish, or a blastingoperation can performed to create a rough or textured (matte) finish.Portions of the glass can also be textured so that the textured surfacewill disperse light and can be used as light indicator. As discussed inmore detail below, the glass material can be formed so that theenclosure can have a seamless or substantially seamless appearance. Theseamless enclosure, in addition to being aesthetically pleasing, canprovide the added benefit of less contamination and moisture intrusioninto the interior of the device.

In some cases, even though housing 102 is fully fabricated from atransparent material such as glass, it may be desirable to obscure atleast portions of housing 102 from the view of an end-user. For example,internal components may be visible through housing 102 detracting fromthe overall look and feel of the electronic product. Therefore, in somecases, portions of housing 102 can be optically obscured. The glassenclosure around the display can be made opaque so the operationalcomponents of the device are not visible. One method of renderingportions of housing 102 opaque is to use an ink printing process inthose areas where opacity is desired to create a mask. For example,appropriately placed ink can render a masked region that is opticallyopaque. For example, an area surrounding a display can be masked toprovide an emphasis and accentuate visual content presented by thedisplay. It should be noted that in alternative embodiments, portions ofhousing 102 can be painted or screen printed. Other techniques forachieving opacity in certain areas, such as using a two-layer cladglass.

It should be noted that glass has been used in a wide variety ofproducts, including electronic devices, such as watches, and phones. Inthese cases, however, the glass materials have not been used asstructural components. In most of these cases, the glass materials havebeen used as cosmetic accoutrements or solely as a screen for a display.It is believed that, up until now, glass materials have never been usedas a structural element providing substantially all of the structuralframes, walls and main body of a consumer electronic device, and moreparticularly an enclosure of a portable electronic device, such as amedia player or mobile phone.

The glass enclosure also allows a display screen to be positionedunderneath and protected by the glass enclosure. The glass material ofthe enclosure is capable of capacitive sensing so that a touch screencan be used through the glass enclosure. The cross-sectional shape,including both the outer and inner shapes of housing 102 may be widelyvaried. They may be formed from simple or intricate shapes, whetherrectilinear and/or curvilinear. For hand held devices, it is typicallypreferred to use a shape that better fits the hand (e.g., form fits). Byway of example, a rectangle with curved edges or an oval or pill shapedcross section having curvature that more easily receives the hand may beused. It should be noted that the inner cross-sectional shape may be thesame or different from the external cross sectional shape of the mainbody. For example, it may be desirable to have a pill shaped externaland a rectangular shaped interior, etc. In addition, although not arequirement, the front surface of the housing 102 may be substantiallyplanar for placement of a display or a user interface that can beincorporated into housing 102 separate from the display.

In this particular embodiment, transparent housing 102 can take the formof an elliptical extrusion. The flexible display assembly 104 can be anactive matrix light emitting diode (AMOLED) display manufactured on apolyimide substrate. In addition to being flexible, AMOLED displaysallow pixels to be lit up individually, as opposed to conventional LCDtechnology in which the entire screen is in either an on or an offstate. Consequently, an AMOLED screen can display small amounts of textat extremely conservative power levels. This type of display screentypically has an active display area 106 which has supporting circuitrythat surrounds at least some of the edges. For example, flexible displayassembly 104 has active display area 106 surrounded on three of fouredges with supporting circuitry that generally includes display driverchip 108 and sensor flex connector 110 on side 104-1 and additionalcircuitry and associated connectors on sides 104-2 and 104-3. It shouldbe noted that with suitable design considerations, remaining side 104-4can be configured in such a way that only a small unused bordersufficiently narrow to be effectively unnoticeable can be provided.

One of the advantages of using a polyimide substrate is that the AMOLEDdisplay screen can be heated that allows the AMOLED display screen to beconfigured into any number of shapes. Moreover, once the heat isremoved, the AMOLED display will then “remember” the original shape evenif temporarily rolled up or flattened out. In this way, by heatingAMOLED display assembly 104 while configured in a shape in accordancewith transparent housing 102 AMOLED display assembly 104 easily conformsto the shape of transparent housing 102. For example, FIG. 1B shows apreheated AMOLED display assembly 104 temporarily rolled up as it isplaced into lumen 112 of transparent housing 102. Once insidetransparent housing 102, AMOLED display assembly 104 can be releasedresulting in AMOLED display assembly 104 “unwinding” to assume the shapeof lumen 112 of transparent housing 102 in such a way that AMOLEDdisplay assembly 104 is arrayed against interior surface 114 oftransparent housing 102. In order to secure unwound display assembly 104to transparent housing 102, a laminating process can be performedsubsequent to the unwinding of AMOLED display assembly 104 to interiorsurface 114 of transparent housing 102. For example, an adhesive can beplaced between the interior surface 114 and AMOLED display assembly 104at locations not viewable by an end-user. It should be noted that edges104-2 and 104-3 of AMOLED display assembly 104 are now positioned at thetop and bottom of transparent housing 102, leaving only edge 104-1 withthe connector 110 and display driver chip 108 to be hidden from view.Once AMOLED display assembly 104 is securely attached to the insidesurface of transparent housing 102, the other electrical components canbe inserted.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of portable electronic device 200 asinternal components of portable electronic device 200 are being insertedinto transparent housing 102. An internal frame for portable electronicdevice 200, which supports the electrical components, can include twosupport columns 202, which are secured by end cap 204 and end cap 206 byway of end cap receivers 208. End cap 204 and end cap 206 can be made ofany suitable rigid material, such as plastic, aluminum, or even steel.Printed circuit board (PCB) 210 can be supported by a rigid framework(not shown) connecting support columns 202. PCB 210 allows the othersupporting electrical components such as battery 212 and processor 214to drive the operations of portable electronic device 200. End cap 204and end cap 206 also include electrical connectors 216 so thatcomponents housed within them, such as data connector 218, and RFantennae (not shown) can cooperate and interact with electricalcomponents disposed on PCB 210. Once end caps 204 and 206 are secured oneither end of transparent housing 102 all the electrical components areenclosed within transparent housing 102. Support columns 202 can bemechanically fastened to end caps 204 and 206 so that the end caps stayfirmly in place. In one embodiment, fasteners such as small screws (notshown) can be embedded in at least one of the end caps, allowing for theend cap to be released from support columns 202 when the screws areloosened. This configuration would allow the end caps to be easilyremoved for maintenance purposes. In another embodiment the removableend cap could also allow users to add end caps with additionalfunctionality. For example, an end cap could be installed that wouldallow two devices to be connected together and act as one system. Thiscould be as simple as having an end cap with a male data connectordesigned to attach to data connector 218 of another similar portableelectronic device 200. In yet another embodiment an alternate end capcould have an improved camera or a different set of wireless antennae.

FIG. 3 shows a bottom view of portable electronic device 200 inaccordance with the described embodiments. In this view structuralsupport elements 302 are shown attached to support columns 202. Supportelements 302 can help provide structural support to transparent housing102. Structural support elements 302 can be deployed after the supportcolumns and electrical components are all connected and in place,thereby providing further support for all the components housed withinportable electronic device 200. In cases where transparent housing 102is made of a material which requires reinforcement additional supportsmay be attached to the inner framework so that portable electronicdevice is truly robust. Also shown in this drawing is the connectionbetween AMOLED display assembly 104 and PCB 210. The two components areattached by sensor flex 304, which allows data to pass between the twocomponents. This diagram also shows how the two ends of AMOLED displayassembly 104 join together at lap joint 306. The portion of AMOLEDdisplay assembly 104 that extends past the lap joint is the finalportion of the border of AMOLED display assembly 104 that is hidden toprovide one continuous display that extends around the entire device. Iflap joint 306 cannot be made to look seamless it may be desirable tocover lap joint 306 with a thin line of dark paint on the interior oftransparent housing 102. In this the lap joint can be positioned on oneedge of the device to further conceal any apparent discontinuity. Insituations where a dark paint concealer is used a butt joint could alsobe used as the cosmetic appearance of the device is less crucial. Itshould also be noted that although the lap joint is shown on a bottomportion of portable electronic device 200 it can be positioned anywherealong the inside of the device.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of portable electronic device 200 inoperation. Notice how the wrap around display substantially increasesthe available display area that can be used for display of icons, data,images, video and such. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, up to fiveapplication icons can be presented that span the width of display 401.Microphones 402 and speaker 404 allow portable electronic device 200 toact as a portable personal communication device, such as a smart phone.Furthermore, virtualization of the physical buttons allows for expandedfunctionality. For example, volume control 406 can be located at roughlythe same position it would be if it were configured as a physicalbutton; however, in this configuration the actual volume setting can beseen at any time (indicated by the circle between the + and −indicators). Additionally, by holding a finger over the volume indicatoran action could be triggered expanding the volume control over theentire left side of the device. This would allow a user to make fineadjustments to the volume of portable electronic device 200. Once theadjustment control is released the control can return to its originalsize. A hold switch is another popular function that is often assignedto a physical button. Instead of the hold button a multi touch gesturealong one of the sides could instead act as a method of locking andunlocking the hold function. Additional features that can be well suitedfor portable electronic device 200 include various image capture devicesalong the lines of cameras 408. It should be noted that since portableelectronic device 200 can present visual content in any direction it isimportant for the portable electronic device 200 to be able to determinea current location of the end-user. In this way, any of cameras 408 canperiodically capture an image and using basic facial recognitionsoftware, one or more of cameras 408 can be used to track the movementthe end user's face in the space around it and as such be able todetermine a general direction of the end-user and the field of vision ofthe end user and adjust the presentation of visual content by display401 accordingly.

FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C illustrate a variety of additional representativeform factors in which the described embodiments can be manufactured. Forexample, FIG. 5A shows embodiment 500 that includes rectangular shapedhousing 502. It should be noted that the rounded corners of FIG. 5Apermit an end-user's finger to move objects around the corners of thedevice. In yet another embodiment, transparent housing 502 can bestrengthened by the addition of external frame 504. External frame 504can provide support for corners 506 and provide additional support forportable electronic device 500. FIG. 5B shows embodiment 510 thatincludes a cylindrically shaped housing 512. In this case orientationsensors such as an accelerometer and facial tracking can be used inmaintaining user interface correctly oriented in the visual field of theend user. In FIG. 5C showing embodiment 520 that includes housing 522that can have a tapered shape with a variably sized cross section. Inthis embodiment, AMOLED display assembly 104 can be manufactured in anon-rectangular shape, allowing the display to conform to the internalsurface of housing 522.

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart detailing process 600 in accordance with thedescribed embodiments. Process 600 can be used to assemble a portablecommunication device having a wrap-around flexible display enclosedwithin a transparent housing. The portable communication device canfurther include wireless communication functionality provide an end-userwith the option of configuring the portable communication device as apersonal communication device along the lines of a smart phone. In anycase, process 600 begins at 602 by receiving an enclosure at least aportion of which is transparent. In one embodiment, the enclosure can befully formed of a transparent material such as glass that can also beused as structural support for the portable communication device. Inanother embodiment, the enclosure can be a multi-part housing where oneportion is formed of structural material such as metal such as aluminumwhereas another portion can be formed of transparent material such asglass integrally formed with the metallic housing.

At 604, a flexible display is shaped in such a way as to be insertedinto a lumen of the enclosure. For example, when the lumen of theenclosure is circular or circular-like in nature, the flexible displaycan be wound, or rolled, up into a shape consistent with the shape ofthe lumen. By rolling up the flexible display into, for example, acylinder, the rolled up flexible display can be easily inserted into thelumen of the enclosure. Once the rolled up flexible display is withinthe lumen of the enclosure at 606, the flexible display unwinds, orunrolls, at 608 and conforms to the shape of the lumen and therebyprovides a display surface at an interior surface. Next at 610, theenclosure is sealed at either or both ends. For example, end caps can beattached to the enclosure to complete the assembly of the portablecommunication device.

In one embodiment as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, a second flexible displaycan be inserted subsequent (or concurrent with) the insertion of thefirst flexible display. More particularly, FIGS. 7A and 7B showsmultiple display portable electronic device 700 in accordance with thedescribed embodiments. Multiple display portable electronic device 700can include first flexible display 702 and second flexible display 704.In one embodiment, first flexible display 702 and second flexibledisplay 704 can present visual content independent of each other. Inalternative embodiments, first flexible display 702 and second flexibledisplay 704 can cooperatively present visual content. For example,visual content can be presented by first flexible display 702 out oftemporal phase with the visual content presented by second flexibledisplay 704. In this way, an illusion of depth perception can bepresented mimicking a 3D experience. In one embodiment, first flexibledisplay 702 can be partially transparent such that visual content fromsecond flexible display 704 can be viewed concurrent with visual contentpresented by first flexible display 702.

FIG. 7B shows a bottom view of multi-display portable electronic device700 in accordance with the described embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an electronic device 800 suitable for usewith the described embodiments. The electronic device 800 illustratescircuitry of a representative computing device. The electronic device800 includes a processor 802 that pertains to a microprocessor orcontroller for controlling the overall operation of the electronicdevice 800. The electronic device 800 stores media data pertaining tomedia items in a file system 804 and a cache 806. The file system 804is, typically, a storage disk or a plurality of disks. The file system804 typically provides high capacity storage capability for theelectronic device 800. However, since the access time to the file system804 is relatively slow, the electronic device 800 can also include acache 806. The cache 806 is, for example, Random-Access Memory (RAM)provided by semiconductor memory. The relative access time to the cache806 is substantially shorter than for the file system 804. However, thecache 806 does not have the large storage capacity of the file system804. Further, the file system 804, when active, consumes more power thandoes the cache 806. The power consumption is often a concern when theelectronic device 800 is a portable media device that is powered by abattery 824. The electronic device 800 can also include a RAM 820 and aRead-Only Memory (ROM) 822. The ROM 822 can store programs, utilities orprocesses to be executed in a non-volatile manner. The RAM 820 providesvolatile data storage, such as for the cache 806.

The electronic device 800 also includes a user input device 808 thatallows a user of the electronic device 800 to interact with theelectronic device 800. For example, the user input device 808 can take avariety of forms, such as a button, keypad, dial, touch screen, audioinput interface, visual/image capture input interface, input in the formof sensor data, etc. Still further, the electronic device 800 includes adisplay 810 (screen display) that can be controlled by the processor 802to display information to the user. A data bus 816 can facilitate datatransfer between at least the file system 804, the cache 806, theprocessor 802, and the CODEC 813.

In one embodiment, the electronic device 800 serves to store a pluralityof media items (e.g., songs, podcasts, etc.) in the file system 804.When a user desires to have the electronic device play a particularmedia item, a list of available media items is displayed on the display810. Then, using the user input device 808, a user can select one of theavailable media items. The processor 802, upon receiving a selection ofa particular media item, supplies the media data (e.g., audio file) forthe particular media item to a coder/decoder (CODEC) 813. The CODEC 813then produces analog output signals for a speaker 814. The speaker 814can be a speaker internal to the electronic device 800 or external tothe electronic device 800. For example, headphones or earphones thatconnect to the electronic device 800 would be considered an externalspeaker.

The electronic device 800 also includes a network/bus interface 811 thatcouples to a data link 812. The data link 812 allows the electronicdevice 800 to couple to a host computer or to accessory devices. Thedata link 812 can be provided over a wired connection or a wirelessconnection. In the case of a wireless connection, the network/businterface 811 can include a wireless transceiver. The media items (mediaassets) can pertain to one or more different types of media content. Inone embodiment, the media items are audio tracks (e.g., songs, audiobooks, and podcasts). In another embodiment, the media items are images(e.g., photos). However, in other embodiments, the media items can beany combination of audio, graphical or visual content. Sensor 826 cantake the form of circuitry for detecting any number of stimuli.

For example, sensor 826 can include a Hall Effect sensor responsive toexternal magnetic field, an audio sensor, a light sensor such as aphotometer, and so on.

The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specificnomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the describedembodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art thatthe specific details are not required in order to practice the describedembodiments. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of the specificembodiments described herein are presented for purposes of illustrationand description. They are not target to be exhaustive or to limit theembodiments to the precise forms disclosed. It will be apparent to oneof ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and variations arepossible in view of the above teachings.

The various aspects, embodiments, implementations or features of thedescribed embodiments can be used separately or in any combination.Various aspects of the described embodiments can be implemented bysoftware, hardware or a combination of hardware and software. Thedescribed embodiments can also be embodied as computer readable code ona computer readable medium for controlling manufacturing operations oras computer readable code on a computer readable medium for controllinga manufacturing line. The computer readable medium is any data storagedevice that can store data that can thereafter be read by a computersystem. Examples of the computer readable medium include read-onlymemory, random-access memory, CD-ROMs, DVDs, magnetic tape, and opticaldata storage devices. The computer readable medium can also bedistributed over network-coupled computer systems so that the computerreadable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion.

The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specificnomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the describedembodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art thatthe specific details are not required in order to practice the describedembodiments. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of specific embodimentsare presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the described embodiments to theprecise forms disclosed. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill inthe art that many modifications and variations are possible in view ofthe above teachings.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device having a front surface andan opposing rear surface, the electronic device comprising: atransparent structure having a first planar portion located on the frontsurface of the electronic device, a second planar portion that bendsaway from the first planar portion, and a rounded corner; a display thatdisplays images through the first planar portion, the second planarportion, and the rounded corner, wherein the display has a foldedportion that folds back towards the first planar portion to conform toan interior surface of the rounded corner of the transparent structure;a rigid housing structure between the front and rear surfaces of thedevice, wherein a position of the display is fixed relative to the rigidhousing structure; a camera that captures an image; and processingcircuitry that processes the captured image using facial recognitionsoftware and that adjusts the images displayed through the first planarportion, the second planar portion, and the rounded corner based on thecaptured image.
 2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein thetransparent structure forms a continuous loop around a periphery of theelectronic device.
 3. The electronic device defined in claim 2 whereinthe display displays the images across the continuous loop.
 4. Theelectronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the display is laminated tothe interior surface.
 5. The electronic device defined in claim 1wherein the transparent structure has a third portion located on a rearsurface of the electronic device.
 6. The electronic device defined inclaim 5 wherein the display displays the images through the thirdportion.
 7. The electronic device defined in claim 6 wherein the thirdportion is planar.
 8. The electronic device defined in claim 1 whereinthe transparent structure comprises glass.
 9. An electronic device,comprising: a transparent housing that forms a loop around a perimeterof the electronic device and that forms a planar side wall and a roundedcorner; an opaque housing structure coupled to the transparent housing,wherein a position of the flexible display is fixed relative to theopaque housing structure; a flexible display that folds back towarditself within the transparent housing to conform to an interior surfaceof the planar side wall and the rounded corner, wherein the flexibledisplay displays images across the entire loop; electrical componentswithin the transparent housing; a camera that captures an image; andprocessing circuitry that processes the captured image using facialrecognition software and that adjusts the images displayed across theloop based on the captured image.
 10. The electronic device defined inclaim 9 wherein the transparent housing has a planar portion and acurved portion.
 11. The electronic device defined in claim 10 whereinthe planar portion is located on a front surface of the electronicdevice and the curved portion is located at the rounded corner betweenthe front surface and the planar side wall.
 12. The electronic devicedefined in claim 9 wherein the flexible display displays the imagesacross the rounded corner.
 13. The electronic device defined in claim 9wherein the transparent housing comprises a layer of glass.
 14. Anelectronic device having a front surface and a side surface, comprising:a metal housing structure; a layer of glass coupled to the metal housingstructure and having a curved portion interposed between first andsecond planar portions, wherein the first planar portion is located onthe front surface of the electronic device and the second planar portionis located on the side surface of the electronic device; a flexibledisplay having a first portion that folds back towards a second portionto conform to an interior surface of the curved portion of the layer ofglass, wherein the flexible display displays images continuously acrossthe first planar portion, the second planar portion, and the curvedportion; a camera that captures an image; and processing circuitry thatprocesses the captured image using facial recognition software and thatadjusts the images displayed across the first planar portion, the secondplanar portion, and the curved portion based on the captured image. 15.The electronic device defined in claim 14 wherein the curved portion ofthe layer of glass forms a rounded corner and wherein the flexibledisplay displays the images across the rounded corner.
 16. Theelectronic device defined in claim 14 wherein the layer of glass forms aloop that extends around an entire perimeter of the electronic deviceand wherein the flexible display displays the images across the loop.17. The electronic device defined in claim 14 wherein the layer of glasshas a third planar portion that is located on a rear surface of theelectronic device.
 18. The electronic device defined in claim 17 whereinthe flexible display displays the images through the third planarportion.